14 hours ago
Beltline grows: New trail segment connects Westside
The Atlanta Beltline's new Westside Trail segment opens today, giving pedestrians and bicyclists nearly 7 miles of pavement — the longest uninterrupted stretch of the project's popular path system — to roam.
Driving the news: On Monday afternoon, Mayor Andre Dickens and Beltline officials will cut the ribbon on the 1.3-mile trail segment connecting Washington Park to Grove Park.
Why it matters: The trail hooks up with a Beltline spur trail that travels through English Avenue and ends at the Georgia World Congress Center, giving trail users a safe, off-street route to major events.
The path also continues to the north toward Huff Road and Blandtown, and then further into Buckhead.
Context: The trail crosses the future Valley of the Hawks green infrastructure project in the Bankhead neighborhood and abuts the 31-acre Beltline-owned property that could become housing, retail and more.
Yes, and: It also creates Beltline access for the 90-acre Grove Park property Microsoft purchased in 2021 for a massive office center. The tech giant halted that plan in February 2023 and has kept mum ever since.
A spokesperson for Mayor Andre Dickens told Axios the city "will have something to say regarding Microsoft in the very near future. Discussions are ongoing."
State of play: ABI's board of directors this past week approved the nonprofit's $242 million budget for 2026, Rough Draft reports.
